I think that people rate Runescape low mostly because they compare it to games like WoW. Try comparing it to other "free" mmorpgs and you will see that Runescape's graphics are much better and the world is much deeper with many more stories being told.
True you do need to pay to access most of the games features but this is true for all such games. Servers cost money both to buy and maintain not to menton the cost of all the people who spent time creating new features.
I for one would rather play a game where you need to pay to access extra features then play one where you cant get to the top without buying your way there.
And guys lets keep our comments relevant to the game. This is not a chat-room.